I am trying to sort out the differences between the 360 and the 430.
I appreciate that the 360 requires belt changes and that the 430 does not, but I am curious as to the other differences.
While owning a 430 means not having to deal with belt changes, and that is a plus, considering that one can find nice 360s for $65K- $75K compared to $110- $125K or more for a 430, the $60-$80 price differential for a 430 translates into a lot of belt changes and makes the 360 more attractive to me.
What are some of the other differences between the two cars?

I'm probably not too concerned with any nominal performance differences between the two cars. Either model has capabilities that far exceed my daily driving needs.

I'm more interested in maintenance differences, and the quirks and eccentricities of each model that impact ownership and driving enjoyment.

Also- are there some years of the 360 or 430 that are more desirable/reliable than others? If the car has the F1 automatic, are there some years of either model that are to be avoided? Is the manual transmission inherently more reliable than the F1 transmission?

7thSon,
The F430 is billed as an "evolution" over the 360, as opposed to a "revolution" which would be the relationship of the 458 Italia to the F430.
I too had this same dilemma before I bought my 360 Spider. Ultimately, I could afford either one (and the maintenance for which ever I chose). My wife, however, felt more comfortable with the up front investment in the 360, so she asked me to buy the 360 instead of the F430. Do I like the F430? Yes. Do I miss not having one? Well, you can't really miss it if you don't know.

The F430 is an epic car. There are some pretty significant technological improvements with regard to the F1 system as well as the now-standard Manetinno, which I think is really cool. But, I love how "analog" my 360 is, in an age full of digital cars. I regard my 360 as "simple," but in a beautiful sort of way.

As far as maintenance, you're pretty much named them - belts versus chains. They both suffer from the same exhaust system weaknesses in the headers/precats. At the end of the day, either one is a Ferrari, so they're going to be "quirky," but that's part of the charm and part of why we love them.

With regard to years, the 360 Spider was virtually identical over the production run from 2001-2005. Upgrades were made to the F1 TCU, which can easily be remedied on an older car (my 2001 Spider has the newest non-CS TCU). For the F430, the general consensus is that MY-2008 onwards are more remarkable because the CCB's were standard, and there were probably a few other minor improvements I'm forgetting. The CCB's were the major improvement, I think. That said, if you don't care about that, there's nothing wrong with earlier F430's.

The manual transmission is inherently more reliable than the F1 gearbox, because there's less electronic equipment in the system (fewer parts = more reliable). That said, a lot of people really like the F1, and you'll recall that F1 cars make up the majority of the market. There's nothing really wrong with the F1 system, other than it can go bad, and if it goes bad, it's expensive. That's par for the course with Ferrari.

Ultimately, you need to try and drive both. I did that. The drive of the F430 was superior to the 360 IMO, but the 360 has other endearing qualities which can be highly subjective. What is NOT subjective is the substantial difference in up front costs. You'll likely NEVER make up the cost difference in reduced maintenance if you buy a 360 over an F430.

I'll end it like I always do. Both cars are amazing, you can't go wrong. Go drive them and the decision will be a lot easier for you. Good luck.

Note the engines on the two cars are different besides just displacement and the chain cam drive. The 360s have 5 valves per cylinder, and unnecessary complication Ferrari tried in both F1, the 333 SP/F50, and the F355/360. They then went back to 4 valves per cylinder for F1 and the F430. The 5 valve engines in the 360 have been reliable once the variator campaign was completed, and do sound great. The 360 variators only work on one set of valves, while the F430 has VVT for all four cams. Note, too, the E-Diff on the F430, along with stability control, compared to the 360, which only has traction control (ASR).

Note also the F430 has an updated Motronic system, 7.1.1, shared with the Enzo, 575, and early 612, while the 360 has an earlier, cruder version of 7.3. The F430 comes with a modern alarm and lithium key/integrated fob system compared to the 360, which has a separate 2 key/3 fob older system.

F430s were also available with CCM brakes.

If you go to ferraridatabase.com, you can download for free all kinds of tech and sales data on Ferraris.

I can tell you that i was set on a 6speed in both cars all the way when i was shopping. All it took was 1 test drive in the F1 and i knew what would go in my garage! Just try not to limit your search into 1 geographical location. That would limit your choices and the 360's can be hard to find if you are specific about colors and options. good luck!

I think Raj states it very well. Besides the variators in the pre-2002 cars as Taz mentions, I have nothing to add on the maintenance aspect.

For us, we drove both the 360 and 430, and preferred the 360 in almost every category. We wanted a stick and liked the aesthetics of the 360, both exterior as Al said, as well as the interior. As Raj stated so well, the 360 seemed simpler, more traditional in appearance, and it just fit us better.

The best advice, as you'll read here, is buy the one that 'speaks' to you.
You'll know it when you drive it.

You cannot measure CCM rotors, only weigh them, which is beyond a PPI.

When I was looking at a 430, my shop recommended a computer readout, showing thickness of pads and rotors. Apparently it can be done with the CCM rotors on the car. They said, the computer readout, rather than getting a verbal from a shop that they were "OK". Replacing ceramics was 28K. Because I was planning to track the car, I was weighing the replacement costs with ceramics, vs a steel conversion, which was 9K.